Hours After Dark
by The SkyHunter
Summary: Based off of the music video associated with 'The Ghost Of You' by My Chemical Romance. After Mikey Way is shot and killed during warfare, Gerard has to cope with the death of his brother and the constant fear that one of his only friends left will be hurt. Mainly focusing on how unsafe Frank is, Gerard feels responsible to protect him. (Rated M for language and suggestive scenes)


**Frerard- Hours after Dark**

_"Mikey! MIKEY!" A haunting echo of his brother's name was pounding against his skull, occasionally making its way out into horrid, petrified screams. Gerard fell backward, and tried ever so desperately to run after his brother, but was restrained by his fellow soldiers, holding him by both his arms and yanking him back, using all of their strength to keep him from running back onto the battlefield. Ray was by Mikey's side, trying to pointlessly save the wounded warrior, bunching up bandages and holding them against the wound to stop blood flow. Unfortunately it was far too late for any sort of help, and Mikey went limp. His hand fell from its place on his chest to the sand beneath him, and his head hung over his shoulders, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose before finally hitting the sand. Gerard was screaming, kicking, crying, and trying to thrash his way out of the hold to go to his brother to maybe save him with the bit of hope he still had in brain, but they didn't let him. They dragged him under a tent where Gerard gave up, and went dead weight on Frank, not planning on moving. Mikey was dead. And Gerard couldn't do a damn thing about it. His brother, gone. _

Gerard was lying on the stretcher they were provided as a bed (which was a pretty shitty bed but would suffice) staring blankly ahead, a tear sometimes slowly dripping down his cheek and off his nose. He hadn't blinked, spoke, or even breathed it seemed since his brother was killed. Sure, it was only a day, but it rather odd for him not to speak for such an extended period of time. Frank and Ray were constantly at his side, knowing how difficult it must have been for Gerard to cope with the untimely loss of his brother. Though they couldn't understand Gerard's pain, Mikey was their friend too, so they felt a rip in their souls as well. After a quick dinner in the cute little tent they resided in (excluding Gerard, of course), Frank sat at the edge of the stretcher where Gerard was like a parent does when they need to speak to you about something important. "Hey Gee." He said softly, trying to give him a startle. That was the last thing he needed. Gerard didn't reply, not like Frank expected him to. "We're worried about you, Gerard. Please answer me." Frank, once again, was ignored. He let out a silent sigh and rubbed his face in stress. "Look, I can't possibly understand what you're going through right now, but I need you to answer me. We're all distraught, you know that. But we can't lose you too." Then was when Frank got an unexpected and rather unnecessary response. "Fuck off." Gerard said platonically, not showing any sort of emotion in his tone whatsoever. Frank didn't want to piss him of, so he stood and left.

Night rang around, and the distant sound of gunshots and bombs were as common as birds chirping in the suburbs of New Jersey. The next day they were going to have to head to the main American base which was very thin ice to tread, and if Gerard didn't move by then, they would have to carry him.

"…He knew what was coming for him when he agreed to go to war with Germany, didn't he?" Ray asked, as quiet as possible, while dragging his fingers along the dirt around him. "He must have known. But can you imagine the pain he's in? I can't even think about it."

Gerard only heard very small mumbles and only caught a few words at a time, but he knew they were talking about him. Yes he knew what he was getting into. Yes he was experiencing unfathomable pain. But there was nothing either of them could do to make him feel better. This wasn't a playground breakup; this was the effect of war using its evil to steal the life of someone he held dear. He wished it was him who had gotten shot, he wished he had jumped in front of that bullet, he wished he died along with him, hell, he even thought about taking his own life to stop the pain, but he couldn't do that. If it had been Gerard, Mikey would have been just as traumatized. So he needed to live on and fight for his freedom. Just…not right now.

Since Gerard was taking up 70% of the bed they were provided, Ray was forced to sleep on the ground in the tent while Frank kept watch. Technically, Gerard could have kept watch due to his never blinking thing, but if there was to be an issue he wouldn't do a damn thing about it. So Frank took the turn.

Around three am there had been no noise for a while, so Frank was much less alert. It was silent beyond the crickets soothingly chirping and the waves hitting rocks, it was all therapeutic, but…sleep inducing. Frank was beginning to lose his footing per Ce, and his head fell against his shoulder, and his eyes slowly closing. Gerard had no idea of this though he was still conscious, and continued staring out the little sliver of night sky he saw through the tent's closing. Eventually, he heard the sand shift around a little which would have perked up a dog's ears. Common sense told him Frank was moving around out there, but he saw a figure through the sliver, and was getting a bit suspicious. His eyebrows furrowed in suspicion and concern, but he remained still, not wanting to come to a false alarm. But to his dismay, he heard Frank's voice, only muffled, and then something in German. It was not a false alarm.

Gerard threw himself off the bed and grabbed the nearest weapon; a large hunting knife. He jumped over Ray and launched himself through the tent's closing, quickly sending the Nazi to the ground. The man was larger than him, but Gerard was sure as hell not going to lose another person he held dear. The Nazi thrashed underneath him and tried to throw him off, however Gerard persevered, and held one hand down while he tried to push his arm toward the man's heart to stab him dead. He was holding Gerard's wrist and pushing it away, but he managed, and pierced the German's chest, stabbing him dead and causing a spout of blood to drip down his chin.

Frank was watching throughout the scene, holding his throat and trying to catch his breath. There was still a large red mark where the Nazi's hand had been choking him, but he was alright, he hoped. "Frankie…are you alright..?" Gerard asked, getting off of the Nazi and pulling his friend toward him. "Y-yeah, I'm okay Gee…are you?" The Way nodded and pulled his friend for a hug, perhaps a little too tight, but Frank was fine with it. Gerard had a right to be terrified.

Upon the arrival of the next morning it was raining heavily, and the Nazi's corpse remained in its place. Ray noticed this immediately when he awoke. Panicking, he searched around the tent for his friends, and was stricken with fear to see they were not in the tent. He yanked his gun up and burst out of the tent, searching for Gerard and Frankie. Luckily, they were passed out on each other against the wiring of the tent. Gerard had blood on his hands and Frank's face seemed paler than normal, but they were breathing, at least. "G-Gee?" he stuttered, pushing his shoulder and shaking him awake. Gerard, typically, groaned, and looked upward at the source of the wake, squinting. "What?" he said, rather hoarsely and groggily. Gerard suddenly moving caused Frank to awaken as well, and cling to the nearest item, which happened to be Gerard's arm. Despite wanting it to be a nice warm blanket, he was content with what he'd gotten instead. "Guys, we need to get up and get out. It does not look pretty out there and we need to go before it gets worse. You guys are soaked, come on. We need to go." Ray tugged on the sopping wet clothing of his best friend's and grabbed his duffel bag with his materials and medicines. Frank stood up first and poked Gerard until he got up. "Gee, please. Get up." The Way groaned once more but got up anyway, and removed his helmet, scratching his head and replacing the helmet.

The trio ran off in the wet, muddy sand, carrying their weapons and trying to navigate their way, despite barely being able to see five feet in front of them due to the heavy and rather painful raindrops that painstakingly hit each and every living thing out on the battlefield. Gerard had the occasional slip up when one of the thoughts returned, almost causing him to fall back into his comatose state a few times, but he was able to pull through, with the help of Frank's constant pep talk. Ray never said a word in fear he would say something wrong, but he was trying to help him along in every way he could.

During their run to the hills, the thought of the night before had only just caught up with Frank. Gerard had been in a motionless, emotionless, and platonic state for a rather long time, but only snapped back up to save him. Sure it could have been instinct, and yes he knew he cared about him, and yes he knew he didn't want to lose another person, but Gerard seemed…almost terrified. What Frank saw in Gerard's eyes was pure fear that Frank could and would have been killed if not for his action. He knew he shouldn't overthink it, but he wanted to figure out how to thank him for it. He was going to find a way.

Even a week after Mikey's death, Gerard was still a bit jumpy and having anxiety attacks at any mention of his brother's name. Needless to say no one talked about it. The trio had made it to the American Base and was provided with three individual rooms that were right next to each other along a hallway. Rooms 234, 235, and 236. Gerard stayed in 234, Frank was in 235, and Ray was in 236. Frank was still listing off ideas for ways to thank Gerard, and decided against a simple thank you or a sit down. He needed something that meant a bit more toward their friendship. Honestly, there wasn't a lot to do. Gerard was sitting in his room, staring out a window and watching rain hit the window violently. He was hugging a pillow and yawning every now and again, but refused to sleep. He kept insisting to himself he 'wasn't tired', just because he had a nightmare every time he fell asleep. That was not a pleasant occurrence. "G-Gerard..?" he heard a familiar voice ask after knocking on his door, catching Gerard's attention. He let go of the pillow and replaced it where it was so Frank didn't know a soldier was hugging a pillow like a child, and stood up, walking to the door to let Frank in. The shorter male looked a bit distressed, which, Gerard knew, meant he wanted to talk. After living with guys for a certain amount of time, you can't help but learn their mannerisms. "What's wrong, Frankie?" He asked, sitting back on his bed and patting a spot next to him. Frank made a little grin and giggled at how stupid his question was, his white tank top and boxers were tattered as they rested on his body. "You know how you saved my life a while ago?" How could Gerard forget? "W-well, um...I was just wondering if you needed any help with anything. I wasn't sure how to thank you and a simple say so didn't seem right. So, um…anything you need you can come to me, alright?" The Iero looked really embarrassed, and shy, despite knowing Gerard for almost what, ten years now? Gerard returned with a small grin of his own and hugged his friend, making sure not to linger so it didn't seem weird. "I'll let you know if anything comes up, okay buddy?" He said, patting his shoulder. Frank nodded and stood up, leaving the room, before Gerard had a sudden thought and called him back. "W-wait, Frankie, there is something you could help me with." Frank's eyebrows lifted in surprise that he actually wanted him to help with something. "If you could…stay in my room for a tonight? Just to keep me company? I'm really feeling a bit panicky."

Another huge shock to Frank especially considering Gerard had pushed away everyone, including the generals, since they arrived at the base, the reality of war and the loss of Mikey still taking a rather large toll on him. Frank closed and locked the door behind him (because Gerard was constantly afraid of walking in unwelcome) and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed. Gerard got off the bed as well and sat next to him, the height difference clearly visible now. "What the hell are we supposed to do?" Frank asked without expecting an answer, aimlessly blurting out words. "I have no fucking idea. Oh, and tell Ray later I'm sorry for being an unresponsive dick last week. I'm kind of…shaken. I'd say broken if it didn't sound dumb." Gerard gigged to himself and curled up into a little ball, hugging his knees and burying his face between them. Frank only let his head drop onto Gerard's shoulder and they remained like this until Frank fell asleep. Seeing Frank like that made Gerard drowsy too, but he was terrified of falling asleep. So he picked up the little soldier and lied him down on the bed, tossing a blanket over him and returning to his position on the floor.

Hours after dark were long, and Gerard sat through them all. He would occasionally begin humming to himself, once began quietly singing, but never stopped thinking about what he could have done to save his brother. Of course he knew he shouldn't be having those thoughts, they would kick him right back into depression, but he couldn't help it. Everyone was worried about him, well, everyone including Frank and Ray, but they were still his best friends. And like Frank had said, they didn't want to lose him.

Finally it was five a.m., and they were forced to get up. Frank heard the piercing sound of the alarm that was either meant to wake them up or cause premature deafness, and jolted, clinging to the blanket that Gerard had given him before coming to his senses and calming down. No surprise, it had rained all night and was still raining when he woke up. Also as expected, Gerard hadn't slept at all. He granted Frank a good morning and began to place his uniform over his wife beater and boxers without any more words. Frank sighed and left the room, going to get dressed without being caught by someone roaming the halls.

Another day of harsh training and warfare proceeded until the trio had reached the next base, whereas Frankie had been shot in his leg prior. Though it was not certain death, it still caused Gerard to have another panic attack upon seeing the blood. They had to help walk Frank to the base, the entire time he was biting his lip so he didn't whine from the pain in his leg where a bullet had hit it, tore apart the skin, and busted through a vein.

Ray was a medic, which meant he was trained to help the wounded. When they arrived at the base they cleared out space to lie out Frank and ripped open the bloody camouflage pants, exposing his bloody ripped open leg. Of course, the team of medics kept the emotionally distressed and paranoid Gerard Way out of the room, and in the hallway, where he was forced to wait to hear whether or not his friend had bled to death. His anxiety only got progressively worse upon hearing screams and whines of pain from the poor kid, as there was only war trained medics, no anesthesiologists. Frank was forced to feel disinfectants and needles and tweezers toy around with his tender skin, to the point where he couldn't even feel it anymore. He was fairly good at keeping still, though not very good at not screaming in pain when he felt shards of metal be plucked out of his leg. Gerard was clutching Frank's jacket rather hard, rocking back and forth while being forced to listen to every little whine to every cry that the kid emit.

Eventually the noise died down into silence. Gerard barely noticed, he was busy calming himself down and studying over every thread in Frank's jacket to care. Ray open the door to the room that had previously forbid Gerard's access and said only these words to reassure him, "Frank's only going to be okay if you come in here." Granted, it wasn't a very good way of reassurance, but it was the truth.

Gerard came into the room with his own jacket gone, and Frank's jacket in one of Gerard's fists, his hair sticking to his face from tears and sweat. Frank looked pale. Extremely pale. But alive, and he looked like he would be okay with rest and hope. "Hey little buddy…" Gerard whimpered out, his voice sounding weak and terrified. Frank did not have good luck in war, that was obvious, and it was making Gerard paranoid for his safety. If they sent him back out there, he would surely die. Three strikes, you're out. "Can you give me and Gerard some time, please?" Frank said, motioning for Ray and the medic's assistant to clear out of the room. It was too small for all of them to be there anyway.

"What is it Frankie?" Gerard asked, grabbing a pillow and setting it very carefully underneath Frank's knee. It was terribly cold in that room and Gerard wanted nothing more than to hug Frank, but he was afraid of hurting him. "I..I'm kind of afraid that I didn't thank you enough for saving my life." Gerard sighed and placed a hand on Frank's cheek, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about it, you did all you fuckin' could, you know?" Frank couldn't help but smile back at his cute little touch. Gerard knew how weird that must have been but he was okay with it. It made a load of fear drop off Gerard's chest when he heard the Iero giggle, and look down as to hide his smile, which he shouldn't ever hide. Gerard's hand slid from his cheek to his chin to lift his face back up so he could see his adorable little toothy grin. "I know, but I feel like I could have been more than just company. I'm out of ideas as to how to thank you, though. So feel free to help me out whenever you want." Frank winked and shifted in the makeshift bed, looking over to the curtain that separated the room from the next. There was no one else there, however, he felt like they weren't alone. So Frank would wait to say what he needed to say until later.

**IM SORRY THIS EXISTS I REALLY AM I KNOW YOU DON'T NEED MORE FEELS But sorry. Okay, this is (for those that don't know) based off of The Ghost Of You music video in which Mikey Way is shot and killed after a USO show and I just thought hey I should turn that into a Frerard ! Okay I'm going to have more chapters but I hate me too sorry**

**-Ciao**


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